1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to guide rails that facilitates and guides the movement of drive elements and guide elements which are used in an openable roof part of a motor vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to such metal guide rails having cut edges on the ends of the guide rail.
2. Background of the Invention
Guide rails of metal, mainly of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, are commonly used in openable roofs of a motor vehicle. Drive elements and guide elements run or move along the guide rail to thereby allow opening and closing of the openable roofs. Typically, these guide rails are fabricated by cutting metal sections to the required length. As a result of this fabrication process, these guide rails have very sharp edges on the cut ends which pose potential danger of injury during installation. In addition, the sharp edges on the cut ends also lead to wear of the drive elements or guide elements which run over guide rail transitions. Mechanical deburring of the sharp terminal ends of the guide rails or the formation of insertion bevels in the area of these edges is very expensive and does not provide an economically viable solution to the above noted problems.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a guide rail assembly in which drive elements and guide elements that run or move over the guide rail ends are not subject to the above noted additional wear.
In accordance with the present invention, by providing a protective cap or a terminal cap, the sharp edges of the guide rail are eliminated at least on an end of the guide rail where the drive elements and guide elements run beyond the guide rail or on that end of the guide rail which lies in the transition to another guide rail. This protective cap surrounds the sharp cut edge of the guide rail so that the sharp edges do not have a detrimental effect on the drive elements and guide elements. In this manner, the guide elements or drive elements which run beyond the terminal end of the guide rail are protected from the sharp edges by the protective cap and thus, are protected against premature wear.
Basically, a variety of materials may be used for the protective cap. For reasons of cost, the protective cap is preferably made as an injected part from plastic. The protective cap can be seated either as a separate part on the pertinent end of the guide rail or it is injected directly onto this end of the guide rail. In the case of a separate part which can be slipped on to the end of the guide rail, the protective cap preferably has a lock element which interacts with a complementary lock element on the end of the guide rail to thereby ensure a permanent, but detachable seating of the protective cap on the end of the guide rail. The locking of the protective cap on the end of the guide rail can take place in a variety of different ways. In the simplest embodiment, the locking is attained by a projection on one part and a recess or depression on the other part.
To ensure smooth running of the guide elements and drive elements into and out of the guide rail over the protective cap, the protective cap has insertion bevels which run into its face. In the case in which the protective cap is made as a separate part which is plugged onto the end of the guide rail, an inwardly pointing face is formed on the protective cap.
In particular, when the protective cap is made of plastic, components of the guide rail can be integrally molded onto it. For example, a centering journal can be integrally molded on the protective cap to support the guide rail assembly to a carrier component adapted to hold the guide rail assembly.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.